@winner188 wrote:
Anyone using fedex to ship larger items to the U.S. ( Automobile Fender) Any problems or concerns . I would like to try FEDEX . I've heard about hidden custom charges and brokers fees and sometimes customers having to pay extra when they receive their item.
Thanks
Bill
You can try calculating the shipping cost at https://www.fedex.com/ratefinder/standalone...I don't know if it would show you any fees though.
Alex
@jyerxa10 wrote:Brokerage fees are different than taxes and duty,,in reality Brokerage fees is the fee the couriers , trucking company's etc charge to do the paperwork involved to transport an item across a border,
jyerxa10: I know what brokerage fees are. 
That's the whole point. There were no taxes or duties owing on the package and therefore no paperwork to complete but Fedex still charged brokerage fees.
In other words, even if the item is valued under $800 which it probably is, there could still be brokerage fees.
@maggiebvintage2010 wrote:There is still paperwork to complete even though no taxes or duties are owing.
Yes, I know!
I did it before shipping.
Shipping from Fedex is very labour intensive and requires much more work that shipping from the PO.
Thing is: By the time the item is actually shipped the paperwork has already been completed by the shipper.
After that if there are no import fees Fedex merely has to toss the package into the correct pile and they are charging $65 for those two seconds of heavy labour. 
Also, note that there is no brokerage fee when receiving an item in Canada via courier and it's valued under $20 and is duty free. I'm pretty sure, although I don't know this first hand because I haven't received items from each company, that this applies to all couriers.
@femmefan1946 wrote:You can try calculating the shipping cost at https://www.fedex.com/ratefinder/standalone...I don't know if it would show you any fees though.
Alex
The sender is in Canada, so that link to the US branch is not useful.
Oops, this should be the correct link: https://www.fedex.ca/ratefinder/standalone.
Alex
@sylviebee wrote:
@maggiebvintage2010 wrote:There is still paperwork to complete even though no taxes or duties are owing.
Yes, I know!
I did it before shipping.
Shipping from Fedex is very labour intensive and requires much more work that shipping from the PO.
Thing is: By the time the item is actually shipped the paperwork has already been completed by the shipper.
After that if there are no import fees Fedex merely has to toss the package into the correct pile and they are charging $65 for those two seconds of heavy labour.
Also, note that there is no brokerage fee when receiving an item in Canada via courier and it's valued under $20 and is duty free. I'm pretty sure, although I don't know this first hand because I haven't received items from each company, that this applies to all couriers.
That is not really how it works! Any shipment over $200 (now $800) requires a formal entry, it's almost impossible to DIY a formal US customs entry and even if you could you would have to be present when it crosses the border.
Private carriers like FedEx or UPS usually include brokerage regardless of the value using their Express services. If you use a Ground service they charge a brokerage fee no matter what the value is. $65 sounds VERY high, UPS is probably a bit cheaper and of course ALL these fees are negotiable (I used to pay UPS a flat $15 regardless of value).
One thing for sure, If you are shipping to consumers in the US you should have any and all brokerage/duty charges billed back to the shipper (Free Domicile billing) and include that amount in the shipping charge to the customer. Having the courier charge the recipient is a recipe for disaster especially with FedEx.
One other thing to mention, both UPS & FedEx are highly negotiable on shipping rates as well as brokerage fees if you have any sort of regular volume. Retail counter rates are interesting but don't reflect reality unless you are just a one-off shipper.
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